CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
SYLLABUS FOR ENGL 2327
American Literature I
Semester Credit Hours: 3
INSTRUCTOR: ____________________
OFFICE HOURS: ______________________
I. INTRODUCTION
A. English 2327 is a survey of American Literature from Native American Literature
through the American Renaissance. Though careful attention is given to the historical,
social, and intellectual developments that gave rise to the literature, the emphasis of
the course is on the individual selections themselves as outstanding expressions of our
English literary heritage.
B. English 2327 is designed to meet the requirement of a sophomore literature course for
students transferring to a senior college or for students desiring the general education
of the first two years of college. The course employs critical thinking and writing
skills in the analysis of a wide variety of selected readings. This course satisfies the
requirement for first semester sophomore literature.
C. Prerequisites: Completion of ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 with at least a “C.”
II LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, British Literature I, the student will be able to do the
following:
A. Explain the development of literary techniques and genres, representative authors and
works, significant historical or cultural events, and characteristic perspectives or
attitudes expressed in literature of different periods or regions.
B. Recognize, through discovery of the recurring themes, the basic issues which
mankind has expressed concern through different literary periods.
C. Trace the development of characteristic forms of expression through the different
historical periods.
D. Write researched, well-developed papers concerning works of literature using various
critical approaches.
III. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
The instructional materials identified for this course are viewable through www.ctcd.edu/books
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IV. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
A. Reading Assignments:
Students are required to read all assigned selections from the text, to do outside
reading when assigned, and to be ready to report the findings of their reading.
B. Papers and Journals:
1. A critical research paper (at least four pages of text) is required. It will
cover selections which will not be covered in class. It should use the
MLA style with in-text citations which may be found in the St. Martin’s
Handbook. More details will be given in a handout.
2. Students may be required keep a journal in which they record their responses to
the assigned literature. The instructor will call for the journals to be
handed in periodically. More details will be given in a handout.
3. Students may be required to complete several Analytical Responses covering
both material read for class and material not covered in class. The Analytical
Responses will require the same kind of writing as the critical research paper
and will be at least two full pages of text in length each. More details will be
given in a handout.
C. Class Performance:
Students are required to attend all classes, bring textbooks and other
supplies to class, and learn to take and keep good class notes. Students,
whether present or absent, are responsible for all assignments. The
student must contact the instructor concerning any missed assignments.
D. Class Participation:
Students are to participate constructively in class discussion and attend
class regularly and punctually.
V. EXAMINATIONS
Three examinations will be given. The first one will cover writers through Chaucer. The second
exam will cover writers through Shakespeare. The final will be comprehensive, but will focus on
writers after Shakespeare. Unannounced quizzes covering assigned materials may be given from
time to time. Make-up work for in-class assignments will be given only in the event of an
excused absence and only with the instructor’s permission.
VI. SEMESTER GRADE COMPUTATIONS
The possible grades for this course are A, B, C, D, or F. The semester grade will be
computed on the following basis:
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Unit Test I 25%*
Unit Test II 25%*
Critical Paper 15%
Journal 10%
Final 25%*
Total 100%
* At least 50% of all examinations will be in essay form.
VII. NOTES AND ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE INSTRUCTOR
A. Course Withdrawal: It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a
course if circumstances prevent attendance. Any student who desires to, or must,
officially withdraw from a course after the first scheduled class meeting must file
Central Texas College Application for Withdrawal (CTC Form 59). The withdrawal
form must be signed by the student.
CTC Form 59 will be accepted at any time prior to Friday of the twelfth week of
classes during the 16-week fall and spring semesters. The deadline for sessions of
other lengths is as follows:
12-week session Friday of the 9th week
10-week session Friday of the 7th week
8-week session Friday of the 6th week
6-week session Friday of the 4th week
5-week session Friday of the 3rd week
The equivalent date (75% of the semester) will be used for sessions of other
lengths. The specific last day to withdraw is published each semester in the
Schedule Bulletin. Students who officially withdraw will be awarded the grade
of “W,” provided the students’ attendance and academic performance are
satisfactory at the time of official withdrawal. Students may file a withdrawal
application with the college before they may be considered for withdrawal.
A student may not withdraw from a class for which the instructor has
previously issued the student a grade of “F” or “FN” for nonattendance.
B. Administrative Withdrawal: An administrative withdrawal may be initiated when the
student fails to meet college attendance requirements. The instructor will assign the
appropriate grade on CTC Form 59 for submission to the registrar.
C. Incomplete Grade: The College catalogue states that “An incomplete grade may be
given in those cases where the student has completed the majority of the course work
but, because of personal illness, death in the immediate family, or military orders, the
student is unable to complete the requirements for a course.” Prior approval from the
instructor is required before the grade of “IP” is recorded. A student who merely fails
to show for the final examination will receive a zero for the final exam and an “F” in
the course.
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D. Cellular Phones and Electronic Devices: Cellular phones and other Electronic Devices
will be turned off while the student is in the classroom or laboratory. If the student is
“on call” or has some other emergency, a message may be left with the department
staff and the student will be notified. The departmental phone number is (254) 5261239.
E. Disability Support Services provides services to students who have appropriate
documentation of a disability. Students requiring accommodations for class are
responsible for contacting the Office of Disability Support Services (DSS) located on
the central campus. This service is available to all students, regardless of
location. Explore the website at www.ctcd.edu/disability-support for further
information. Reasonable accommodations will be given in accordance with the
federal and state laws through the DSS office.
VIII. COURSE OUTLINE
A. Unit One
Learning Outcomes--Upon successful completion of the unit the student will be able to do
the following:
a. Discuss the motives for and results of exploration by the various settlers of the
original colonies.
b. Discuss the difference between northern and southern colonies as reflected in the
writings
c. Define Puritanism and identify it as a guiding force in early American literature
d. Discuss the foundation for an American identity
Learning Activities
a. Classroom lecture/discussion (C5, C6, C7; F1, F2, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, F11, F12)
b. Reading assignments (C5, C6, C7, C8; F1, F8, FF13, F16, F17)
c. Examination (C1, C5, C6, C7; F2, F7, F8, F9, F10, F12, F13, F16, F17)
Unit Outline:
1. Exploration and the Colonies
a. Native American Literature
b. Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
c. Samuel de Champlain
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2. The Colonies
a. John Smith
b. William Bradford
c. Thomas Morton
d. John Winthrop
e. Roger Williams
f. Anne Bradstreet
3. Puritanism
a. Michael Wigglesworth
b. Mary Rowlandson
c. Samuel Sewall
d. Edward Taylor
e. Cotton Mather
f. Sarah Kemble Knight
4. The South and Middle Colonies
a. William Byrd
b. St. Jean de Crevecoeur
B. Unit Two
Unit Objective--Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to do the
following:
a. Define “Enlightenment” and trace its effects in the writings of this period.
b. Trace the movement from rational, neoclassical literature to the beginnings of
Romanticism.
c. Continue identifying the creation of an American identity in civilization and its
literature.
Learning Activities
a. Classroom lecture/discussion (C5, C6, C7; F1, F2, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, F11, F12)
b. Reading assignments (C5, C6, C7, C8; F1, F8, F13, F16, F17)
c. Examination (C1, C5, C6, C7; F2, F7, F8, F9, F10, F12, F13, F16, F17)
Unit Outline
1. Reason and Revolution
a. Jonathan Edwards
b. Benjamin Franklin
c. Thomas Paine
d. John Adams
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e. Abigail Adams
f. Thomas Jefferson
g. Phillis Wheatley
h. The Federalist
i. Philip Freneau
j. Royall Tyler
2. The Romantic Temper and the House Divided Nature and Society
a. The Native American Heritage
b. Washington Irving
c. James Fenimore Cooper
d. William Cullen Bryant
C. Unit Three
Unit Objective--Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to do the
following:
a. Explain the cultural, social, and political concerns of the Native Americans as they are
revealed in writings and translations.
b. Identify the basic elements of Transcendentalism
c. Identify the basic elements of Romanticism
d. Discuss the major literary developments that occur as a result of the Civil War.
Learning Activities
a. Classroom lecture/discussion (C5, C6, C7; F1, F2, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, F11, F12)
b. Reading assignment (C5, C6, C7, C8; F1, F8, F13, F16, F17)
c. Examination (C1, C5, C6, C7; F2, F7, F8, F9, F10, F12, F13, F16, F17)
3. Unit Outline
1. Transcendentalism
a. Ralph Waldo Emerson
b. Margaret Fuller
c. Henry David Thoreau
2. Romanticism
a. Edgar Allan Poe
b. Nathaniel Hawthorne
c. Herman Melville
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3. The Humanitarian Sensibility and the Inevitable Conflict Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow
a. John Greenleaf Whittier
b. Oliver Wendell Holmes
c. Abraham Lincoln
d. Harriet Beecher Stowe
e. Harriet Jacobs
f. Frederick Douglass
g. James Russell Lowe
h. Rebecca Harding Davis
4. Pioneer of a New Poetry Walt Whitman
NOTE: Though the major emphasis on the final exam will be on Unit Three, some questions on
the exam will require a comprehensive knowledge of the other units.
D. Final Examination
NOTE: The final examination should be weighted as follows: 50% - Unit Three 50% Comprehensive
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